Pro Football Focus tabs Justin Fields as CFB's top returning QB over Trevor Lawrence
Heading into the 2020 college football season, two quarterbacks stand out among the rest. Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence are the two Heisman Trophy favorites and will likely be projected as first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Which one is better, though? According to Pro Football Focus, the answer leans towards the guy in Columbus.
Yes, Lawrence has led Clemson to back-to-back national championship appearances and has lost just one game in his two seasons under center, but PFF says Fields should be rated higher. According to PFF, Fields is the total package.
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“Justin Fields should be ahead of Trevor Lawrence,” says PFF. “He’s graded better, he’s graded better in pro-like situations. He’s six-foot-three, it’s not like he’s some shrimpy guy that no one’s ever heard of. Justin Fields ahead of Trevor Lawrence.
“They both project to be better than Tua [Tagovailoa] and a little bit less than [Joe] Burrow, but of course Burrow had the senior year that none of them have had yet. So for right now, it’s Fields then Lawrence and then, if Tua were in next year’s draft, he’d be third.”
Fields threw for 3,273 yards and 41 touchdowns last season, with just three interceptions. He completed passes at 67 percent clip, and also rushed for 484 yards and 10 scores while leading Ohio State to a 13-1 record, a B1G title and a College Football Playoff appearance.
Lawrence had another strong season last fall, throwing for 3,665 yards and 36 touchdowns with eight picks. The sophomore also piled up 563 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
Both Fields and Lawrence are incredibly skilled, and it should be fun to see the race for the Heisman Trophy in 2020.